There were so many highlights for me during the EVO Conference that I don’t even know where to begin when someone asks me about my time.

I know I’ve told you already about the amazing women (and men,) that I met and the great things that I learned; but I didn’t tell you about the great time I had when I was able to test drive the new 2010 Buick LaCrosse. Buick was one of the sponsors for the conference and we had 2 vehicles sitting right outside the venue waiting to be experienced.

I decided to take my turn behind the wheel and brought one of my roomies, [email protected], along for the ride. Jamie was also kind enough to man my Flip camera for a little documentation of our travels. Here are just a few of my favorite features of the 2010 Buick LaCrosse.

As my kids get older I’m dreaming about being able to downsize my vehicle. Obviously, I would still want a 4-door until the kids are out of the house and I can upgrade to a 2-door convertible, (right.) As I said in the video, the LaCrosse is really like a “cool mom” car.
I love the fact that with the E-Z Key Passive Entry System, I don’t have to dig in my pockets or my purse for the key while carrying groceries, toys, etc. The system will automatically turn on the interior lights and unlock the doors once I get within a certain number of feet; and once inside the car, like you saw on the video, all I have to do is push a button to start or shut the vehicle off.

The LaCrosse also comes with an optional voice- and touch-screen navigation system, which would be a must of me. I am severely geographically challenged and anytime I leave town I have to have a GPS with me or I run the risk of never coming home. Since I usually have my kids with me, getting home is a must.

There are also convenience features that just make life easier. The LaCrosse sports a 40GB hard drive that powers not only the navigation system but also allows you to store your favorite music in your car! If you forget your iPod it’s no big deal because you can just have your music in the car no matter what. If you do have your iPod though there is a USB port that enables you to sync directly to the car. Lastly, the LaCrosse can be equipped with Bluetooth. This is a must for me because Oregon recently passed a law requiring the use of hands-free devices if you use your phone while driving.

Now I can’t forget about the kids. As mentioned in the video there is a dual rear DVD system that includes wireless headphones. So while the kids are watching a movie I can listen to my music or just talk with my copilot. If that weren’t enough it even comes with a remote control! 🙂

Of course there are MANY more features that I could talk about but really I’ve rambled on enough.

With the economy we are all concerned with gas mileage. The LaCrosse gets up to 17mpg in the city and 27mpg on the highway. Now I’m not going to lie. The LaCrosse is a bit spendy, starting at around $27,000 for the basic model, the CX. The CX doesn’t come with all the bells and whistles I’ve raved about, so if you are looking for the vehicle with those but don’t necessarily want to go for the top of the line CXS, I would go with the CXL. The CXL comes with a few more features than the CX and starts out at about $29,600. The CXL also has the majority if not all of the features I talked about available for add on.

A vehicle is a big purchase and like I said this one doesn’t come lightly. Sure there are other vehicles out there that are cheaper in price but if you’re in the market for a new vehicle you really should check out the Buick LaCrosse. I can’t guarantee that it will be the perfect match for you, but just like my mom used to tell me, “You don’t know if it’s gonna fit if you don’t try it on.”

*Disclosure: This post performs double duty. It allows me to further describe my experience at the EVO Conference and enters me to win a 2 week test drive of the 2010 Buick LaCrosse courtesy of Buick.*